Any other way
by Focussight
Summary: Phoenix finds himself stuck in Miles' house for a week, and to make matters even more awkward, there's no spare bed. Phoenix is determined to make Miles his. Slash. T rating for now, might become M later on.
1. Chapter 1

Phoenix found himself trudging reluctantly through the snow, clutching in his left hand the case files he was bringing to Edgeworth's house on behalf of Apollo, who, unfortunately, didn't seem to take to cold weather well and was currently at home sick. Phoenix sighed, knowing he had originally wanted Trucy to go for him but she had insisted on staying at Apollo's side. The ex-attorney chuckled to himself, stuffing the files into his pocket as he remembered who he was visiting. A grin spread across the man's unshaven face, a relieved yet sentimental grin that was obviously due to not having seen his old buddy in a while, and being grateful for his company, if only for a few hours.

As he approached the front door of what seemed to be a museum - but was so undoubtedly _Edgeworth_ that he couldn't find it within himself to not smile fondly at how well it suited the guy - Phoenix felt sure there were butterflies trying to ram holes in the walls of his stomach, and he bitterly tried to force them to settle down, to no avail. He knocked on the door and heard a very familiar voice calling out from somewhere inside "Come in," obviously signalling that the door was already unlocked. Stepping inside, the butterflies sped up, increasing their attempts at freedom. Sighing at his own lack of patience, he slammed the door moodily behind him. But Phoenix instantly regretted this action as a loud noise, like someone dropping a rather large towel, sounded outside the door. Miles quickly snapped his head around from where he was sitting reading the newspaper in the next room, his grey eyes a storm of anxiousness as they glared at the all-too-familiar face that had just intruded his home... and his peace. He sighed, almost not asking for fear of the answer that would follow. "Wright, I hate to say it but what on Earth was that noise? You better not have broken my door, or so help me you'll be paying for it."

Laughing, Phoenix scratched the back of his neck with that familiar sheepish grin that made something inside Edgeworth flicker with a small, happy spark. After his little spot of unsettling (for Miles) laughter, he proclaimed "Nah, your door's fine but I think there's still reason to worry... y'know how this snow isn't forecast to stop until next week?" sighing, Miles leant his head on his hand as he braced himself for what was to come out of his irritating friend's mouth next. "...Yes?"

There was an awkward pause as Phoenix shot his patented "Am-I-thinking-or-ignoring-you?-You-figure-it-out" look at the ceiling, then seemed to decide what to say before he opened his mouth and stated matter-of-factly "Y'know, you really should get all that snow off your roof as soon as you can, or someday someone's going to slam the door a little too hard and uh..." there was a slightly nervous gulp from Wright's direction and then he continued, grinning inside at how annoyed Edgy was going to get from this. "Well, fact is, we're snowed in. Got a spare bed Miles?" He saw something in his old friend and rival's eyes snap, and chuckled to himself. Although Phoenix never liked to admit it, even to himself, he was fairly sure at that moment the pathetically affectionate side of him was silently saying "I hope not." as a reply to his own question. Surprisingly, Miles didn't completely freak out at this question, only looked shyly away while saying "...No. I don't."

Wright suddenly remembered the whole reason he was there in that house, and with frustratingly unsure, slightly twitchy hands, walked over and hastily handed the case files to Edgeworth, who nodded and hurriedly took them and shoved them into his magenta suit pocket. Although neither of them really wanted that slight brush of hands to end so quickly, they simply didn't have the courage to take themselves up on that offer, and ended up just smiling to each other, their hearts beating passionately yet unknowingly in unison.

Clearing his throat in a vain attempt to hold back the red flush that desperately wanted to escape through the route of his face, Phoenix said "Guess we're stuck, eh? Dammit, I don't even have any spare clothes... but I think I'd rather wear these for a week than parade around in whatever pink monstrosities are hidden away in your house, Edgy." he winked playfully, desperate to lighten the mood between them. As he had expected, Miles stated the argument that had been going on for as long as they could both remember: "For the last God damn time, Wright, it's _magenta_. I don't even know why I'm having this pointless conversation with you." resisting the overwhelming urge to giggle like a schoolgirl, Phoenix put on an extremely forced innocent "puppy eyes" face and pouted, mumbling "I didn't mean to annoy you, Edgy-poo." He knew full well this would really get to Edgeworth and he couldn't suppress an amused glint in his blue eyes as he watched Miles struggle between affection, anger and letting out yet another exasperated sigh.

Yet again, Phoenix couldn't help breaking the awkward silence by thinking out loud. "That said, I don't have any PJs either." he raised an eyebrow expectingly at Miles, who suddenly became a whiter shade of pale and looked a little taken aback. Stepping back just the tiniest bit and looking at the floor, Phoenix stumbled on his words as he said "I-Incidentally, how many people is your bed built for...?" he was slightly unnerved by the fact that Miles shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable. Phoenix slumped down in a separate sofa and sighed loudly, muttering "I'll take that as a _one_, then. Great." sarcastically under his breath.

After a few minutes, he became desperate to change the subject. To fix this, he stared around the elegant living room while musing, almost to himself but purposely loud enough for Edgeworth to hear, "Wow, who'da thunk it?" and after a confused and slightly suspicious glare from Miles, he went on to say "I mean the fact that you actually have a house. I thought you just lived at your office." Try as he might, Phoenix couldn't suppress a childish giggle as he removed his shoes, upon finally realising he was treading snow and mud into Edgy's spotless home. It appeared as though the butterflies had somehow found their way up to his chest and were squeezing the ever-loving hell out of his heart. He stopped himself just in time from cursing under his breath for being so stupid.

Glancing up, Phoenix realised that Edgeworth was staring at the floor, his hands nervously clamped together in his lap, looking very much like he just wanted to jump off a bridge and get the hell out of this situation. Phoenix couldn't help but feel hurt and apologetic as he stared at his friend, and at all the built-up uncertainty causing tears to prick the corners of his grey eyes. "Miles..." he started, seeing the prosecutor jump as if he'd forgotten he was in the room. Smiling, he reluctantly continued, "Look, the fact of the matter is, we're stuck here. Moping around for a week isn't going to be much fun, is it now...?" a pause as Miles clenched his hands together tighter, clearly willing Phoenix to somehow get out, until his knuckles turned white. "Miles! Look at me, for God's sake!" Wright was obviously getting anxious, and against his own better judgement he walked past Edgeworth to sit beside him on the other sofa, grinning at him like a giddy drunken idiot until he saw the satisfying image of the corners of his courtroom rival's mouth twitching in the beginnings of a warm smile. This was a very rare thing, since this was _Miles Edgeworth_. Edgeworth! The man known as "The Demon Prosecutor". The man who had gone through so much pain and suffering, just to become something he had despised from the beginning. But Phoenix knew that whatever it took he would take that away, and get to see innocent playful Miles as he remembered him from all those years ago... those six months in school had been some of the happiest and most memorable moments of his life, and he wasn't about to let Miles forget them.

Edgeworth mumbled something under his breath, reluctantly - _very_ reluctantly - shuffling a little closer to Phoenix. "Sorry, what was that...?" Phoenix asked innocently, honestly not hearing what he'd said. Edgeworth inhaled deeply and sighed through his nose, before repeating himself. "Why did _you_ come for the case files? I thought you weren't a lawyer any more." Phoenix looked at the half-hidden loneliness in those misty grey eyes and said quietly "I didn't think coming here would bother you _that_ much. And I'm not, it's just that... Apollo is ill, and Trucy insisted that _I_ go and let her stay and look after him." he noticed it was getting dark, and decided to change the subject yet again, as he'd found it helped ease his fluttering insides just a little. _But maybe_, he thought, _I don't want to ease it_. Pushing the thought away, he smirked, grabbing Miles' hand and running upstairs, looking in every room until he found his bedroom. He couldn't ignore the fact that the simple gesture of holding hands was making Miles' face match his suit. Hope flickered in his chest as Phoenix swooped into the room, making sure to let go of Edgy's hand as he did so, and launched himself into the office chair in the middle of the room. He wondered briefly why he was so excited about this; probably because it was like the sleepover that his parents would never let him have as a kid. Except it lasts for a week! If only Miles would stop being so damn sheltered about it. He couldn't blame him though, not really. Phoenix swung around in the chair, using his legs to push against the floor in different directions and swing left and right, left and right, all the while facing Miles - or at least his general direction. He intertwined his hands behind his head and shot Miles a smirk as he tried to make himself momentarily believe, like he always did, that this was _Miles'_ hand he was holding, that he'd finally overcome his shyness and made Miles _his_, and was going to spend the rest of his life with _him_ by his side. Just the thought sent contended shivers up Phoenix's spine, but unfortunately – like always – it wasn't actually true. The ex-attorney had always hated the reality of their situation, and promised himself right there and then that he would be able to call Miles _his_ at long last at some point before this week was over. And this one wasn't like the other million promises like this he had made himself.

Because this one would be kept.

**A/N: Phew! Sorry for the long paragraphs, I like rambling _way_ too much for my own good. I hope that was enjoyable to read, and hopefully more will come soon enough. I know it wasn't really a cliffhanger ending, but it's close enough, right? Don't worry, there will be at least one more mention of Apollo and Trucy at some point during this story. :) I don't know where this idea came from any more but I really like the result. And if this really doesn't make sense in the Apollo Justice timeline, I apologise. I haven't actually played past the investigation of the second case (is it just me sucking at logic, or is that thing needlessly complicated?) but I know about the spoiler between Trucy and Apollo, don't you worry about that. I just don't know the specifics (like where the hell Miles ran off to)... please don't spoil any more for me though XD.**

**Don't forget to review! I'd love some feedback on this! :D I'll probably try to make my paragraphs considerably shorter - no matter how much it hurts me to do so when I'm so used to rambling... which you can probably tell already - in chapter 2. Same goes for my sentences, _JEEZ_ those things are _long_!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Wright, I have no idea how you can be so calm about this whole ordeal."

Edgeworth shifted uncomfortably, far too used to being in the middle of his bed – not to mention _without_ the presence of another human being, and a _male_ one at that – and not squashed up on one side against the wall as he was now. True, right now there _wasn't_ another man in his bed... but, his mind fully processed for the first time, there soon would be. He felt the now-familiar nervousness creep up on him again, and tried unsuccessfully to shake it off.

_Trust Wright of all people to appear unexpectedly in my house, and manage to trap us both here for an entire week before he'd even had a chance to greet me, _he thought with a smirk. _He really hasn't changed at all, has he?_

"Hey, at least I'm not crapping myself over it," Phoenix chuckled in response as he raided the other man's room for some form of decent pyjamas, before he ended up having to sleep in his underwear... coincidentally, that same suggestion had earned him a slap around the head earlier that day from the prosecutor, "anyone would think you'd never had a sleepover or anything like that... hey, didn't we have one in fourth grade? At Larry's house?" The ex-defence attorney glanced up at Edgeworth for a moment before looking back down at the clothes he was searching through and furrowing his ridiculous eyebrows at them. "And while I'm asking questions, do you own _anything_ that isn't pink?"

Miles cleared his throat before answering. "I-I assure you, it's not all pink," he half-lied. Some of it was _magenta, _after all, not _pink_. It wasn't his fault if Wright wasn't very fashion-smart, "and... I think I vaguely recall that. Didn't it include me having to clean a pizza-covered kitchen while you two bums lounged about on the sofa?" He raised an eyebrow at the other man and crossed his arms, tapping his right index finger out of pure habit.

A short, nostalgic laugh burst from Phoenix's mouth as he recalled that particular part of the night. "Oh yeah... sorry about that," he scratched the back of his head through his beanie with his free hand, a hint of the old, familiarly sheepish grin returning briefly to his lips out of habit, "trust you to remember your _least_ favourite parts. You mean to tell me you've forgotten that game of Mario Kart? You weren't even _trying_, and you totally thrashed us!" He smiled absently down at the pale pink pyjamas – apparently he'd given up trying to find something more masculine – as he held them up against him, trying to see in the mirror if they would fit before he decided to put them on. Fortunately, the height difference between them wasn't large enough for there to be much of a change in clothing size.

An openly warm smile almost managed to sneak its way onto Miles' face, but as soon as he noticed what he was doing, he hastily forced his expression back to normal before Wright could see. _What am I doing? The last thing I need right now is him thinking I'm enjoying his company... _he sighed quietly. _Especially since we're about to..._ he didn't trust himself to finish that silent sentence without blushing again – why _had_ he done that earlier? – and honestly, he would rather have hell open up and swallow him into the ground forever than have to suffer Wright's reaction to that embarrassing display.

The other man spoke, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Try not to peek if you can help it, Edgey, I'm changing." He smirked in amusement, as if he could never get enough of embarrassing Edgeworth.

For a moment, Miles thought he hadn't heard what was said, but eventually it caught up with his slightly reverie-dazed brain. "...Huh? Oh- for Christ's sake, Wright, I'm not going to look. And can't you just go change in the bathroom or something?" He immediately knew trying to win this petty argument was a lost cause, and took to staring intently at the ceiling instead of anywhere near the ex-attorney. This, frustratingly, earned him another eerily satisfied chuckle. While briefly wondering what was so funny, he belatedly realised his face was heating up. _Oh, for the love of..._ he hastily turned his head to the wall on his right. _Not __now! I swear, sometimes I think my body is conspiring against me..._

"Pfft, where's the fun in that?" Phoenix mumbled over the rustling of fabric. Miles didn't even have to look at him – thankfully – to know there was a stupid grin on his face. _Sometimes I wonder if it's unhealthy to know someone this well..._

"I'm glad you find this so entertaining." Something in the way the other man had hurriedly shut up after his response told Edgeworth he wasn't supposed to have heard that. He couldn't suppress a victorious grin at the wall.

"Done!" Beamed that persistent other voice, his tone similar to a proud toddler who felt they'd just accomplished something amazing.

"Wright, for your own well-being, I sincerely hope you're not trying to trick me."

"Aww, Miles! I'm offended that you would even _think_ such a thing!" Phoenix said, with extremely fake drama dripping from his speech. "Nah, I'm serious, I'm changed. How the hell do you wear this without feeling weird?" A small pause as he turned to look in the mirror again. "I look ridiculous!"

Sighing, Edgeworth turned to look at the other man. "What, you mean more than usual? I didn't think that was possible." He commented as he took in the contrast between Wright's stubbled face and the pale pink he was currently sporting.

An eyebrow was raised. "Have you looked in a mirror lately? Or _ever_?"

Edgeworth felt himself flinch slightly. _Touché..._

Phoenix sighed, approaching the bed. "Shuffle over, then."

He glared. "I have."

A short, uncomfortable silence followed. "...Ah. This isn't going to be easy, huh?" Phoenix scratched the back of his head again, and Edgeworth noted the slight flinch of his hand as it actually met hair instead of ridiculous blue beanie material for a change. He had to admit he had slightly missed that stupid hairstyle of his... he hadn't been back in the country for long really, maybe around a year, but hadn't seen it since eight years ago. How it stayed spiky under that hat, he would never know.

_Wait... wh-what am I thinking? Ugh, this is seriously messing with my head... and somehow I don't think I'll be sleeping like a log tonight. _He abruptly stopped himself there, before his thoughts could wander off along that road, into places they _really_ didn't need to go.

Edgeworth gave a small, slightly nervous chuckle – which sounded much less nervous than he actually _felt_ – "Heh, no. What, did you expect it to be?"

A small, honest smile. "I guess not."

_What the... I could've sworn my heart skipped a beat ther- oh, no way... NO! That's so _stupid!_ What's wrong with me today? If Wright is somehow telepathic – and his idiocy is contagious – I might as well bid farewell to all of my remaining sanity right now. _He shook his head, dismissing the oddly... romantic thought before it had a chance to start properly. _Grr... too late... no, it couldn't be. I just need sleep, that's all._

His thoughts were once again interrupted as Phoenix sat down on the bed, shifting the balance of the mattress considerably, making Edgeworth jump slightly. Reluctantly, with shaky hands, he shuffled forward and adjusted the pillows so that they were more flat on the mattress than resting upright against the headboard, as they had been before when Miles had been sitting up.

Their uncomfortable, questioning blue and grey gazes locked for a moment, before hastily looking away again and wordlessly sliding down – not without brushing arms a little, it was a single bed after all – so their heads were on the pillow and they were lying on their backs.

There was silence for a few minutes after the covers had been pulled up so only their heads and necks showed. Edgeworth stared at the ceiling yet again as he tried desperately to keep his panicked breathing in check, and noticed in his peripheral vision that Phoenix had closed his eyes. _He's probably trying to sleep. Heh, good luck with that, it's not going to happen. _As if he was indeed telepathic as Miles had stupidly started to fear, his eyes half-opened and began to stare at nothing in particular, dull and unfocused. It would seem he was deep in thought. _Don't strain yourself..._ he suppressed a chuckle at his own joke. About five more minutes passed.

_Okay, this silence is getting ridiculous. I have to do _something _to make this less awkward... _that's when a previously untouched thought entered his mind. He took a silent, deep breath and turned his head to look at the man lying unsettlingly close to him, and said quietly, "Wright, will Trucy and Apollo be okay back at the office? I mean, he's sick, isn't he?"

Phoenix was still for a short moment longer, but as he processed what the other man had said, his eyes widened slightly and seemed to focus back into reality. He turned his head to face Edgeworth and replied, at the same volume, "They'll be fine. Trucy's taken care of me before when I was worse than that, and it's not like they're kids... as much as I hate to admit that she's grown up so fast... god, I sound like such a stereotypical parent," he laughed, running his hand absent-mindedly through his dark hair.

Miles let a small smile – it would've been almost invisible if they weren't in such close proximity – lighten his face a little at that. He decided it was a good idea to keep the conversation going, as things had certainly gotten much less awkward since they started talking. "If you don't mind me asking, what were you thinking so intently about just then?" He subtly chewed on the inside of his bottom lip as he wondered if that was too personal a question to ask. Wright didn't look too bothered by it, though, so maybe it was fine.

_Wait, why do I even care in the first place?_

Phoenix shrugged. "I was just thinking that I haven't been in contact with Maya for years. Unless they keep up with the news here over in Kurain, she might not even know about..." he bit his lip and Miles saw his eyebrows twitch. "...that I'm not a lawyer any more." He finished lamely.

Miles felt his gaze soften sympathetically, before snapping to attention in his head and hurriedly returning it to normal. _Ugh, this really needs to stop. _He cleared his throat a little. "I'm sure she's fine. She's the... um, the Master or something now, right?" He winced at the unfamiliar feeling of uncertainty in what he was saying; he really needed to start paying attention to these things. Nevertheless, he continued. "She's probably really busy these days, being responsible for a whole village and everything. I bet she doesn't have time to worry about you."

He earned a grin and a mutter of "Yeah, I guess you're right." from the other man.

That grin... dammit, that _grin_...!

_I wish I knew how to stop this... I swear my pulse just doubled._

A cavernous yawn and a blast of toothpaste-tainted breath in his face did a fantastic job of stopping that thought from going any further. Not even bothering to move or turn over, Phoenix mumbled "I'm exhausted... 'night, Miles," and closed his eyes. After a few minutes, the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed steadied, and it seemed he was finally asleep. Now that he wouldn't be interrupted, Edgeworth really didn't want to continue with those thoughts, especially not now...

_...now that he looks so helpless._ He smiled to himself.

_God, what the hell is wrong with me? Am I..._

_Wha-NO! ARGH, what's going on? This can't be good... he's not even _doing_ anything and my heart is still pounding like crazy._

_I just need sleep. Yes, that's it. I'll go to sleep and this inner torment will all be gone tomorrow._

_...why do I suddenly feel like... like I want to wrap my arms around him an-OH GOD STOP IT! Miles, get a hold of yourself, you sound like something out of a crappy romance novel! Besides, if I did that he'd wake up and _then_ what the hell would I do? There's no suitable excuse for that._

_Okay I seriously need to go to sleep. Good night to you too, Wright..._ and with that, he closed his eyes, and was at peace for the first time since the ex-attorney had appeared in his home earlier that day. He slipped into a surprisingly peaceful sleep, certainly better than how he'd been sleeping recently. For one thing, there was no nightmare. The absence of that horrible elevator and that _gunshot_ that rang through his ears and cut him to the core like nothing else was very much welcomed.

"_But why had it disappeared now?" S_aid a nagging voice at the back of Miles' otherwise very much still mind. He wouldn't discover the answer to that question for a little while yet, but part of him didn't _want_ to find out. For all he knew, that knowledge might bring it back... anything might bring it back.

And the week was only just beginning.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Wow has it been another gigantic gap between chapters? Um, sorry about that. I just don't get ideas/inspiration very often ^^; I hope this is worth the wait! Aaahhh I'm already running out of ideas... then again I don't know how long I plan on making this story last so it's just kind of, whenever I run out of ideas completely and whenever I figure out a suitable ending. One more thing I should mention; I'm kind of basing the house's layout on my own home but the problem with that is I'm British and have no clue what Americans do or call things or if their houses are laid out differently... keep that in mind a little if you could xD enjoy the new chapter!**

A soft, sleepy groan spilled from Phoenix, as he was cruelly jolted back into reality by sunlight streaming through the window and onto his face. Forgetting his surroundings in his half asleep state of mind, the ex attorney tried to roll onto his other side and tug the covers over his head to block out the harsh light. Strangely, he found himself getting stuck somewhere between on his back and on his side, with his right arm draped over something. Something warm, something that was... breathing? Alarmed, he sat bolt upright and felt his head ache slightly as it was swung around to inspect what had been in his way. He had a short, heart-stopping moment of utter panic as he recognised the familiar silver hair on the pillow beside him. _Oh, god, please tell me I didn't... we didn't..._

His eyes widened and his eyebrows shot up, but just as a bead of sweat started to make its way down his face, the memories of the previous day's events shot into his mind and he breathed a sigh of relief, chuckling quietly at his own assumption. _Yeah, right, like that's even plausible. I need to lay off the grape juice, I think it's messing with my brain. _After a moment of waiting and watching to see if the sudden shift in the covers would disturb Edgeworth – he stirred a little and grumbled in his sleep, but didn't wake – Phoenix carefully swung his legs over the side of the bed. He cringed a little as his cold, bare feet touched down on firm carpet instead of being cushioned by his warm slippers, like he was used to. He raised a pink-clad arm and impatiently wiped at the sweat with it, before pushing himself gently up from the side of the bed.

With one more look over his shoulder from the doorway to make sure he hadn't disturbed Miles, Phoenix walked downstairs to find something to eat. _Hey, if I'm going to be here for another six days, he can't exactly forbid me from eating._ He discovered there was more than enough bread in the kitchen cupboard so he decided making himself a couple of slices of toast would be safe enough. He suspected that Miles wasn't much of a morning person, and didn't particularly want to be stuck sharing a house – not to mention a bed – with the other man if he had a reason to be in a mood with him.

The moment Phoenix pushed the button down on the toaster, he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He turned just in time to see Edgeworth entering the kitchen, rubbing at one eye sleepily and yawning. Phoenix smiled as he turned back to collect his toast, placing it on a small plate he'd found. He looked back at Miles and realised he looked a lot more well rested than he had before. The dark circles around his eyes had faded considerably, and he looked... healthier, almost lively.

"Someone looks bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning. Sleep well?" Phoenix said as he passed Edgeworth in the doorway, carrying his plate into the living room.

"... I did, actually. Admittedly, my sleep as of late has been rather... restless," came the somewhat hesitant reply from the kitchen. Phoenix settled down on the sofa with his breakfast beside him, and only began to think through this response when the other man sat next to him, having turned on the kettle for a cup of tea.

_Has something been bothering him...? _Phoenix studied Edgeworth's expression for a moment, beginning to feel concerned. He chewed absently on his bottom lip. "Is everything okay?"

Miles opened his mouth to answer but no sound came out, as if something had interrupted him. Phoenix was about to ask what was wrong, but at that moment he noticed that the ground was shaking. Not enough to knock anything over, but it was noticeable... definitely an earthquake. His thoughts immediately flew back to _that_ case, and his heart lurched in his chest as he realised Miles' face had frozen in terror, staring blankly ahead, and his hands were shaking violently.

_I might kick myself later for this, but... I don't know what else to do._

He shuffled closer on the sofa, his concern rapidly becoming full-fledged worry, and placed his hand gently on Miles' shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Miles reluctantly turned his head to lock eyes with Phoenix... the sheer terror and tears were clear, and Phoenix felt his heart constrict in fear and sickening worry for his friend.

"Ph-Phoenix..."

In that moment, Phoenix was positive he wasn't looking at the 'demon prosecutor', or the mask he had created to hide behind. This wasn't Edgeworth... cold, uncaring, perfect record above all else Edgeworth... this was _Miles_. The small, vulnerable child that had been caged up since that tragic day all his troubles began. Unable to hold back any more from the swell of fierce affection in his chest, Phoenix murmured softly, "Aww, Miles... it's okay, c'mere," and wrapped his arms around the other man, gently guiding him close in case he wanted to pull away. He didn't, and he made that quite clear by – unconsciously, Phoenix assumed, although the thought didn't stop the blush that had settled on his own face – clinging to his only source of comfort and letting the tears fall onto the supportive shoulder in front of him as the world continued to tremble.

A few minutes later, when the earthquake stopped, Miles carried on. Now that everything had stopped shaking, Phoenix could tell more easily that the other man was shivering from head to toe. Without a second thought, he hugged Miles tighter, and continued to mutter simple words of comfort into his ear.

Miles was pressed so close to him, he could feel his frantic heartbeat almost leaping through his chest. After a while, it began to calm down, until the hoarse sobs and the tears and the trembling had all stopped. Phoenix breathed a quiet sigh of relief, but couldn't help wondering... _how often does this happen when there's no one here to help? _The thought span around his head, making him feel sick to the stomach with worry. _Poor Miles... _somewhat reluctantly, Phoenix moved his hands to Miles' shoulders and gently pushed him back to look at him face to face. He just managed to stop himself in time from reaching up to wipe the tears from the other, willing himself not to get carried away.

"Are you okay?"

Miles drew in a shaky breath. "Mm... y-yes, I'm fine." A moment of hesitation passed. "... Thank you."

Phoenix couldn't stop the sad smile from spreading across his face. "Hey, don't mention it. Any time." _I'd be willing to bet no one has seen him break down like that... at least not in a long time. _He saw the smallest, yet somehow most heartfelt, of smiles dawn on Miles' tear-stained face and felt his own heart ache and his bottom lip tremble ever-so-slightly in automatic response. _God, how can anyone be so beautiful and such a wreck at the same time? _He suppressed a chuckle, vaguely aware that his hand had squeezed Miles' shoulder again without him really deciding it should. _Honestly, get a grip, Phoenix... w-wait, is he...?_ Miles' expression almost looked... loving, but it was the faint pink tinge to his pale cheeks that startled Phoenix so much. He couldn't quite decide whether it just looked strange, or... strangely like it belonged there.

Out of nowhere, Miles cleared his throat and detached himself from Phoenix, standing up and turning to leave the room. Phoenix couldn't quite understand for a moment, his mind still struggling to get past the moment they just shared, but then he realised the kettle was probably boiled by now. _I really need to get a grip. He's just going to make tea, for heaven's sake, it's not like he ran away the moment I dared to touch him._ The last two words of this impromptu thought were in an innocent enough context, yet somehow they still sent a small shiver up Phoenix's spine, and the part of his brain he tried not to listen to went into overdrive. _This is gonna be a _long_ week..._

~*x*~

The second Edgeworth was out of sight in the kitchen, he slumped to the ground with his back against the side of the refrigerator and let out a long sigh, cradling his face in his hands as it burned crimson against his palms.

_What the hell was I thinking? And God only knows what _he's_ thinking... damn earthquakes. Damn von Karma. Damn _feelings_._

Another sigh, a few seconds of quiet regretting, a reluctant push up from the floor and a swift preparation of tea later, Edgeworth was walking back to the living room, trying to push embarrassing thoughts to the back corners of his mind and his familiar, dignified mask to the front.

He was unsuccessful, a fact he knew immediately once he had sat back down next to Wright and felt his face automatically heat up again. _Oh, for the love of-_

"Wright..." he bit his lip. "I think it'd be best if we... just forget. Whatever happened just then." It sounded pathetic and useless, he knew, and he could've phrased it better if he'd tried. But the words had spilled out on a whim before he had a chance to consider them. And yet... he felt oddly like a lot of thought had gone into them, almost as if without his control, and they'd come out so awfully cliché and unintelligent regardless. Phoenix was silent, and Edgeworth – not daring to look the other man in the eye for fear of it destroying the little confidence he had left – took this as an opportunity to think about what to say next. He was quiet for a few moments, then sipped his tea and swallowed before continuing. "I just..." he inhaled deeply to regain his bearings, and could feel his breath getting shaky. _Don't you _dare_ break down twice in ten minutes, Miles. Not now. Not in front of him..._ "the last thing I want right now is for the next few days to be awkward or uncomfortable. But the fact is, I..." At that point, he dared to glance up and found himself locked onto those kind, blue eyes yet again, unable to look away. Unfortunately, he was also unable to finish his point, since his breath and heart had caught in his throat and he'd been rendered speechless. He had expected a negative reaction... he wasn't sure _what_ exactly, but it wasn't good.

It certainly wasn't what he saw at that moment.

Wright seemed to have shifted on the sofa without Miles noticing, and his face was now about as far away as it had been the night before, while squeezed side by side into a single bed. He was grinning like a Cheshire cat, seeming utterly delighted with what wasn't even an entire confession yet. _But_, Miles reasoned in the back of his hazy mind, _I suppose it doesn't matter. As long as he knows... and he- oh _God_. He couldn't possibly... there's no way_–_**!**_

The prosecutor hadn't even noticed the other man moving closer until he had felt a hand snake around the back of his neck, and seen just _how_ close those eyes had gotten. Those perfect, twinkling eyes that belonged to the man that meant the world to him.

They were right here. With no one else around for several days.

The realisation hit him like a ton of bricks. _Just close enough to..._

Not daring to think about it, Miles leant forward and pressed his lips gently to Phoenix's. The hand on the back of his neck twitched slightly before its owner deepened the kiss and his heart ached and twisted and soared in response for all it was worth, almost threatening to cut off his breathing entirely. Their eyes closed, and suddenly nothing else in the world mattered. It didn't matter that they were stuck here due to Phoenix's unfortunate temper tantrum; it didn't matter that they had no phone service; it didn't even matter that Miles was meant to be in the middle of a case.

_No, it's more than that,_ some distant part of his mind whispered from the edge of the clouds shrouding his senses, _nothing else exists._

Miles felt his breath beginning to run out, and tears were prickling at the corners of his eyes. _Typical. _Sighing inwardly, he reluctantly pulled away and opened his eyes just in time to see Phoenix's fluttering open, a look of wonder spreading across his face. Miles didn't know exactly when he had hung his arms loosely around Phoenix's neck, but he knew it had happened, and he also knew he was more comfortable and at home than he could ever remember being. He didn't even bother to suppress the wide, warm smile sneaking its way onto his face, or the tear that escaped and ran down it.

The prosecutor felt, rather than controlled, the mildly surprised raising of his eyebrows and the ever-widening smile twitching in an involuntary chuckle, as he saw a similar look on Phoenix's face. It seemed Miles wasn't the only one crying, and surprised to see the other crying too. The accuracy of how mutual the feeling was was endearing, and their hands brushed as they each tried to wipe the other's tears. Miles was laughing now. He was actually _laughing_, and feeling lightheaded, and his heart was thumping wildly, and all those other cliché things that shouldn't be true because they're only real in stories and cheesy love songs and poems... but somehow, they were all true. Every single one of them.

"... Wow." _Wait, where did that come from? Was that _me_? _Mentally slapping himself, he averted his gaze from the other man, knowing his face was probably bright red from sheer embarrassment.

Phoenix just laughed and smiled wider. "What, you didn't expect me to be that good?" A peculiar eyebrow was raised.

Miles looked back up cautiously and found himself grinning in return. "Don't flatter yourself, Wright." With that, he leaned in for another kiss, feeling rather than hearing the contented sigh from Phoenix just before their lips met and their fingers intertwined.

The future had never looked so bright.

**A/N: The annoying thing is, this seems like a good place to end the chapter, but it probably means the next (final?) chapter will be... a little short xD oh well, I think this one was quite long, so it all balances out. As always, reviews make me happy :D don't be afraid to criticize anything you feel needs improving. I'm still a little new to writing.**


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